G. Hayden Green

Staying close to the land

The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill was the largest ever in U.S. waters until this year's Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. As the expert witness for all the native corporations involved -- over 60 different firms -- G. Hayden Green was called upon to value large parcels of rural land, and specifically depict how both the spill and recovery efforts would affect the territory involved. Green's testimony was based on appraisal methods he had developed for lands previously determined to be of little or no value because of their lack of accessibility and vastness in size. It was a case of impartial, meticulous research in the service of truth and justice.

In his journey from "Arizona country boy" to high-profile business consultant, G. Hayden Greene says he "caught the gift for learning" at NAU. "I went into the army and came up to ASC; I was a 'C' student when I arrived and left as an 'A' student." His MBA at Pepperdine and PHD from the University of Arkansas were succeeded by several years back in the fold as an instructor at NAU's College of Business.

In the foreground of Green's work is his pioneering program in logistics for the University of Alaska at Anchorage. Before his retirement as professor and dean emeritus of business and public policy, Green oversaw six academic programs and five research centers. The logistics major took its cue from the City of Anchorage's position as a crossroads of international distribution and airplane transfer station. Green worked closely with faculty, emphasizing leadership through team building and participation, and raised over $1 million to start the initiative. The resulting bachelors and masters curriculum in logistics is a boon to corporations seeking experts in facilitating goods transfers between Asia and the U.S.

In concert with his administration and fundraising roles, he also taught real estate classes, published over 100 papers and articles in major journals, presented more than 100 professional seminars and spoke to hundreds of corporations. A trusted advisor to the Social and Economic Research Group and the Small Business Administration, Green also devoted himself to personal service, including 10 years on the Junior Achievement advisory board. He and his wife, Betty, enjoyed their "extracurricular" time on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, teaching religion courses at the Institute of Religion in Indiana.

The American legal system recognizes Green as both an expert witness and as a court-appointed "master," a citizen judge for real estate lawsuits, actually hearing cases and ruling on them in civil court. For his personal commitment to the responsibility of the active citizen and an ongoing quest for true and just valuation in all arenas, the NAU Alumni Association salutes G. Hayden Green with the Dr. Cliff Harkins Distinguished Citizen Award.

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